Health concerns fuel demand for fresh food
Fresh food in China registered steady volume growth in 2025 amid rising health awareness and the growing fears surrounding ultra-processed foods. Economic uncertainty shaped purchasing decisions, with price sensitive shoppers trading down to more affordable lines, including local and seasonal options. Meanwhile, the overarching theme of convenience is evident through new formats addressing the complex needs of modern urban lifestyles.
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Overview:
Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Fresh Food industry in China with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
Key trends are clearly and succinctly summarised alongside the most current research data available. Understand and assess competitive threats and plan corporate strategy with our qualitative analysis, insight and confident growth projections.
Data and analysis in this report provides further detailed coverage dedicated to the following key categories, where applicable:
- Eggs
- Fish and Seafood
- Fruits
- Meat
- Nuts
- Pulses
- Starchy Roots
- Sugar and Sweeteners
- Vegetables
If you're in the Fresh Food industry in China, our research will help you to make informed, intelligent decisions; to recognise and profit from opportunity, or to offer resilience amidst market uncertainty.
The Fresh Food in China report includes:
- Analysis of key supply-side and demand trends
- Detailed segmentation of international and local products
- Historic volume and value sizes
- Five year forecasts of market trends and market growth
- Robust and transparent research methodology, conducted in-country
This report answers:
- What is the market size of Fresh Food in China?
- What is the impact of commodity price fluctuations on local production and consumption?
- What are the key campaigns or legislation driving Fresh Food sales?
- How are consumer attitudes towards fresh food evolving?
- How significant is health and wellness in shaping consumer demand?
- Where is future growth expected to be most dynamic?
Fresh Food in China
Health concerns fuel demand for fresh food
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Bright performance for fresh foods
Economic uncertainty leads to downtrading across categories
Positive evolution shaped by urbanisation and plant-based diets
Distribution is set to evolve with the adoption of digital technologies
Sustainable features to underpin evolution of branding strategies
Small local grocers face growing competition from modern channel
Impressive performance for retail e-commerce
Contrasting performance between retail and foodservice channels
COUNTRY REPORTS DISCLAIMER
Eggs in China
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Stable performance for eggs
Eggs support consumers in period of economic uncertainty
Premiumisation trend is embraced targeting affluent consumer base
Staple egg consumption will support category performance
Convenience trend to be addressed by producers
Fish and Seafood in China
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Fish and seafood enjoys solid growth
Shifting health priorities drive sales of fish and seafood
Cost and climate change weigh on purchasing decisions
Fish and seafood to benefit from daily health priorities and new consumption occasions
Premiumisation trend is set to shape seafood
Fruits in China
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Fruits consumption climbs amid stronger emphasis on healthy eating
Fruits category reaps the rewards of strong demand and local supply
Economic and climate factors weigh on purchasing decisions
Significant growth potential for the fruits category
Packaged and prepared fruits will raise the bar on convenience
Meat in China
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Meat volume sales under pressure in the retail channel
Meat consumption trends are evolving in China
Convenience and sustainability shape demand patterns
Foodservice meat sales rise amid stronger preference for dining out and less home cooking
Changing dietary preferences to weigh on meat consumption
Premiumisation and branding are key strategies to counter decline in retail channel
Nuts in China
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Versatility of nuts drives sales growth
Nuts become part of China’s healthy snacking culture
Rising demand for plain nuts
Strong outlook for the nuts category
Convenience formats will be leveraged to address modern lifestyle demands
Pulses in China
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Pulses witness strong growth in sales
Pulses gain appeal as a cheap and nutritional plant-based food
Pulses resonate with the needs of budget-conscious households
Public health strategies and ageing population to support higher intake of pulses
Convenience products are key to winning over consumers
Starchy Roots in China
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Nutritional benefits ensures steady demand for starchy roots
Root vegetables face competition from staple foods
Relatively stable demand for starchy roots in 2025
Stable outlook for starchy roots
Modern lifestyles require convenience formats
Sugar and Sweeteners in China
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Pressure for traditional sugar as health concerns intensify
Sugar intake is curbed amid health concerns
Challenging landscape for players in the sugar category
Cleaner more natural alternatives offer growth opportunities
Monk fruit sweetener has strong growth potential due to its health benefits.
Vegetables in China
KEY DATA FINDINGS
Fresh vegetables benefit from health halo
Supply disruptions drive up retail prices in 2025
Concerns over ultra-processed foods nurtures demand
Bright outlook for vegetables
Convenience products will be key to meeting the demands of fast-paced consumer lifestyles
COUNTRY REPORTS DISCLAIMER
The following categories and subcategories are included:
Fresh Food
- Eggs
-
- Crustaceans
- Fish
- Molluscs and Cephalopods
-
- Apples
- Banana
- Cherries
- Cranberries/Blueberries
- Grapefruit/Pomelo
- Grapes
- Kiwi Fruit
- Lemon and Limes
- Oranges, Tangerines and Mandarins
- Peaches/Nectarines
- Pears/Quinces
- Pineapple
- Plums/Sloes
- Strawberries
- Other Fruits
-
- Beef and Veal
- Lamb, Mutton and Goat
- Pork
- Poultry
- Other Meat
-
- Almonds
- Coconuts
- Peanuts (Groundnuts)
- Pistachio
- Walnuts
- Other Nuts
-
- Beans
- Peas
- Other Pulses
-
- Cassava
- Potatoes
- Sweet Potatoes
- Other Roots
- Sugar and Sweeteners
-
- Cauliflowers and broccoli
- Maize
- Onion
- Tomatoes
- Other Vegetables
Fresh Food
Fresh Food refers only to fresh uncooked and unprocessed foods (packaged and unpackaged). Packaged sugar products and natural sweeteners (e.g. brown sugar, table sugar, molasses) are also included. For Fresh Food, we research total sales across distribution channels including retail, foodservice and institutions. For a selected 18 markets, we have a breakdown of total fresh food sales according to the following formats: • Retail • Foodservice sales • Institutional sales Retail Retail sales is defined as sales through all legal establishments primarily engaged in the sale of fresh, packaged and prepared foods for home preparation and consumption. Retail sales excludes sales to hotels, restaurants, cafés, duty free sales and institutional sales (canteens, prisons/jails, hospitals, army, etc). Our retail definition excludes the purchase of food products from foodservice outlets for consumption off-premises, eg grilled chicken/meat/fish bought from counters of cafés/bars. This falls under foodservice sales. For foodservice, we capture all sales to foodservice outlets, regardless of whether the products are eventually consumed on-premise or off-premise. We estimate sales through the following channels: Modern Grocery Retailers • Supermarkets • Hypermarkets • Discounters • Convenience stores • Forecourt retailers Traditional Grocery Retailers • Independent small grocers • Food/Drink/Tobacco Specialists • Other grocery retailers (morning/speciality/open/wet/farmers’ markets, stalls and kiosks, etc) Non-grocery retailers • Health and beauty specialist retailers • Other non-grocery retailers Non-store retailers • Homeshopping • Internet retailing • Vending • Direct selling Foodservice Foodservice sales are defined as sales TO consumer foodservice outlets that serve the general public in a non-captive environment. In other words, this means that the foodservice volumes track sales of all fresh food going into restaurant kitchens, regardless of what the restaurant actually does with that food. Foodservice outlets include cafés/bars, FSR (full-service restaurants), fast food, 100% home delivery/takeaway, self-service cafeterias and street stalls/kiosks. Sales to semi-captive foodservice outlets are also included. This describes outlets located in leisure, travel and retail environments. • Retail refers to foodservice units located in retail outlets such as department stores, shopping malls, shopping centres, super/hypermarkets etc. • Leisure refers to foodservice units located in leisure establishments such as museums, health clubs, cinemas, theatres, theme parks and sports stadiums. • Travel refers to foodservice units based in airports, rail stations, coach stations, motorway service stations offering gas facilities etc. Institutional sales Institutional sales is defined as sales to captive foodservice units that serve captive populations such as in hospitals, schools, prisons, military camps, hotels, hostels, nursing homes, homes for elderly people, religious houses, etc.
See all of our definitionsWhy buy this report?
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This report originates from Passport, our Fresh Food research and analysis database.
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